Electric railway.



No. 678,2l3. Patented my 9, lem.

.1. M. ANcK.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

(Application led Apr. 24, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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llNrrnn STATES PATENT irren,

JOHN M. ANOK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPEQIEICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 678,213, dated July 9, 1901. Application filed April 24, 1901. Serial No. 57,239. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN M. ANCK, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an improved construction of electric-railway system, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Figure lis a longitudinal section of conduit for an electric-railway system embodying my invention, taken fon line a' x, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with a portion of the top of the conduit removed for convenience of illustration. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the conduit, taken on line y y, Fig. 2. Fig. et is a side elevation of aportion of the flexible conductor.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the gures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the body of the conduit, which is provided on its upper side with grooves B and B', in which the main feeder and flexible conductor are situated. Upon the upper side of the body A and closing the grooves B and B' is a cover C, suitably secured thereto. It is understood that the body A and cover C are formed of non-conducting material, such as wood, and mounted at one side of the cover C are the sections of the contact-rail D, said sections being separated by insulating portions E. These contact-rail sections D are connected with conductor-strips F, that extend into the conduit between the cover C and the upper edge of the body and along the lower face of the cover to the other side of the conduit, where they are electrically connected with sectional conductor G, secured to the lower face of said cover. Situated within the conduit is Ythe main feeder H, that is protected by insulations J, such insulations extending in sections, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby said main feeder II can be connected with a ilexible magnetic conductor K, situated on the other side of the conduit below the contactstrip G.' The said flexible magnetic conductor K is hollow, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so as to reduce the weight thereof, and is connected with the main feeder H by means of resilient conductors L, consisting conven iently of springs, each being suitably connected at its opposite ends with said main feeder and ilexible conductor. The magnet M is carried by the car and travels over the flexible conductor,whi1e the current-collector N travels in contact with the contact-rail D.

It is understood that my invention relates to that class in which the main feeder is inclosed within a closed conduit and the flexible magnetic conductor is raised to the top of the conduit in contact with the contactsections by a magnet on the car and progressively as the car proceeds. The said flexible magnetic conductor thereby energizes such sections of the contact-rail that are in contact with the current-collector or over which the car is passing at the time, thereby avoiding a live contact-rail, and consequently danger.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In anelectric railway, a closed conduit composed of non-conducting material and having longitudinal grooves therein, a main electric feeder, and a flexible magnetic conductor electrically connected to said main electric feeder.

2. In an electric-railway system, a closed conduit, a main Velectric feeder therein, a flexible magnetic conductor therein, flexible connections between said main feeder and ilexible conductor, a sectional conductor within said conduit, situated over said flexible magnetic conductor, a sectional contact-rail exterior to said conduit, and electrical connections between the corresponding sections of said sectional conductor and contact-rail.

3. In an electric railway, a closed conduit, composed of non -conducting material and having a plurality of longitudinal grooves therein, a main electric feeder, a exible magnetic conductor electrically connected to said main electric feeder, means situated on the car to raise the said iiexible magnetic conductor in contact with the sectional conductor within said conduit, a sectional contactrail exterior to said conduit and electrical IOO connections between the corresponding sections of said sectional conductor and contactrail.

4L. In an electric railway, a conduit, a plurality of longitudinal grooves therein, a main feeder located in one of said grooves, a hollow flexible conductor in the other of said grooves, an electrical connection between said feeder and conductor, and means for conveying electricity from said conductor to the desired point.

5. In an electric railway, a conduit, a plurality of longitudinal grooves therein, a main feeder located in one of said grooves, a ilexible conductor in the other of said grooves, an electric connection between said feeder and conductor, and means for conveying electricity from said conductor to the desired point.

6. In an electric railway, a conduit having a plurality of grooves therein, a main feeder `a plurality of grooves therein, a main feeder located in one of said grooves, insulation for said main feeder, a flexible magnetic conductor in the other of said grooves, a coiled spring forming an electrical connection between said `feeder and conductor, and means for actuat- 1 ing the latter.

JOHN M. ANCK. Witnesses:

E. I-IAYWA'RD FAIRBANKS,

C. D. MCVAY. 

